not sure how helpful this is, but if you deliberately look for it, you'll find that many people who seem to "know the social protocol" actually do lots of awkward stuff and make faux pas all the time. as long as the person isn't aware that they're being awkward, no one seems to notice.

unfortunately this is sort of a catch-22. if you feel awkward about something, people will probably notice and perceive it that way also. I try to at least pretend that I don't feel awkward in these situations, which kinda works. it's sorta like the phenomenon where nobody questions a person with a hi-vis and a clipboard.